Baseball

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -
Three first inning runs would prove to be all the Santa Clara baseball team would need as the Broncos posted a 3-1 win over Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles on Friday afternoon. The Broncos improve to 16-19 on the season with a 2-10 mark in conference action. The Lions fall to 14-19 overall and 6-6 in West Coast Conference play.

Senior starter Anthony Rea (3-4) threw his second complete game of the season, allowing only one run on five hits. The Palo Alto native did not walk a batter and faced only 31 batters in the nine-inning contest.

Santa Clara brought three runs across home plate in the top half of the first inning. Shortstop Kevin Drever continued his eight-game hitting streak as he opened the game with a single through the left side. He would then move to second on a sacrifice. Kris Watts was hit by a pitch to put two runners on for Santa Clara with one out. Michael Thompson followed Watts with a single, but a throwing error would move Thompson to second and bring Drever home as the game's first run.

After a fielder's choice gave the Santa Clara its second out of the first inning, a walk to Shawn Epidendio loaded the bases. Center fielder Ryan Chiarelli followed and put the Broncos ahead by three runs with a single through the left side to score both Thompson and Dustin Realini.

The lone Lion run would come in the fifth inning on a solo home run by Kyle Mura.

Thompson, Chiarelli and Nathan Faulkner all had two hits in the contest as the Broncos out-hit the Lions 9 to 5. Chiarelli's two RBI in the first inning single were a game-high.

The three-game WCC set will continue tomorrow with a 1 p.m. contest at George C. Page Stadium. Senior left-hander Adam Sanabria will get the start on the mound for Santa Clara.